1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to back massagers that roll upon a spindle shaft, and more particularly to a method of making a magnetotherapeutic back massager that uses magnets to invoke magnetotherapeutic response in the person being massaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetotherapy uses magnetic fields to provide therapeutic and restorative treatment to limbs, organs, and other parts of the body. Generally, one means by which magnetotherapy may be achieved is by bringing a magnet or series of magnets into close proximity with the affected body part or organ of interest. As is known according to Faraday's Law of Magnetic Induction, as well as the Hall Effect, charged particles experience a force acting on them when they move through a magnetic field in a perpendicular direction. Since human blood is replete with ions and electrolytes, it has many charged particles which experience a force, including an aligning force, when moving through a magnetic field. When exposed and caused to so travel through a magnetic field, such ions and electrolytes may generate heat, causing the associated blood vessel to widen. The widening of the blood vessel would then allow increased volumes of blood to flow through the blood vessel.
Additional therapeutic or restorative effects might arise through the alignment of polar molecules as they pass through the magnetic field. When passing through a magnetic field, polar molecules rotate to align themselves with the field. Such alignment would alternate with the magnetic polarity as the polar molecules traveled through different regions of such magnetic polarity. The mechanical motion of the rotation of such polar molecules might also cause heating and the like and would also stimulate, mix, or agitate the blood in a gentle manner, causing it to gently churn. Such mixing of the blood at the molecular level may cause it to more easily recognize foreign matter. By recognizing foreign matter, the blood and/or immune system may be able to more readily address such foreign matter.
Several patents are known having various designs for the alternation of magnets of different polarity to provide spatially diverse magnetic fields. The patent to Latzke (U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,711 issued Dec. 25, 1984) and the patents to Ardizzone (U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,692 issued Jan. 11, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,072 issued May 7, 1996; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,495 issued Jul. 23, 1996) all disclose a variety of magnetic plaster and magnetic pads having certain magnetic geometries in order to achieve spatially varying magnetic fields through the use of magnets.
Magnetotherapy can also be applied through a variety of other agents and devices. Particularly, massage is known in the Orient and is increasingly becoming common in the Occident with respect to use as a therapeutic device. By massaging the muscles and articulating the limbs, better flow of body fluids such as blood and lymph can occur and the masseur or masseuse can detect and address certain muscular or anatomical features which have occurred as a result of stress, strain, or from some other cause. For example, muscle knots and the like can be massaged out by the massager. Additionally, in articulating the joints, the massager may become more aware of certain limitations in articulation that can be addressed through physical massage therapy or the like.
Of particular importance with respect to massage is the back, or spine, about which the remaining skeletal frame is hung by means of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the like. While devices facilitating back massage are known in the art, only a very few of these combine magnetotherapy with back massage. Of these, the patent to Masuda (U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,760 issued Nov. 19, 1996) shows a earlier therapeutic appliance meant for use in back massage. The device in the Masuda patent shows generally a knobbed, bi-lobed back massager having a pair of oppositely opposed handles about a central and freely rotating back massager portion. In a generally back-and-forth motion over the person's back, the knobbed, bi-lobed portion is pressed against the person's back so that the lobes are straddled the person's spine. By rolling the Masuda device over the person's back, massage of the back is thereby attained and greater relaxation and muscular engagement by the massager is accomplished.
As set forth in the Masuda patent, an aluminum wheel or the like is used to support the magnets providing the magnetotherapeutic effect arising therein. Additionally, and as shown in FIG. 8 of the Masuda patent, the central core rolling structure of the Masuda device is accomplished in a series of manufacturing steps that require some, awkward manipulation of the magnets and may not use materials that are most advantageous for realizing magnetotherapy through a back-massaging device.
In order to further the art, and to provide better means by which magnetotherapeutic back massagers of the Masuda type may be achieved, it would be more advantageous to provide a means of manufacturing a magnetotherapeutic back massager that is more easily realized and more conveniently realized by current manufacturing techniques.